Police officers have been given strict orders not to dance with Notting Hill Carnival revellers after attracting significant criticism for joining in the festivities in recent years. The carnival takes place this weekend in West London, covering Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove, and surrounding streets, and is expected to attract more than 500,000 people on each day.
However, police covering Europe’s biggest street festival have been reminded of their responsibility to ensure public safety, rather than allowing themselves to succumb to the hedonism. Last year, there were two murders, eight stabbings, 349 arrests, and 61 police officers assaulted. Many officers describe working the event as extremely hazardous, with overcrowded streets and isolated positions making it hard to respond to trouble quickly.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Carnival is an iconic and spectacular event which attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year to party and celebrate Caribbean culture.
“But it is also an event where there have been numerous concerns about crowd safety and crime.
“As a consequence, almost 7,000 officers will be deployed to this year’s event. They are there to keep revellers safe, not to join in the revelling.”
They added: “We want officers to positively engage with the carnival-goers while staying and remaining able to respond and intervene swiftly as necessary. They can’t do this if they are dancing.
“The standards of behaviour expected as part of the policing operation will be communicated clearly before the event, just as they have been in recent years.”
Dancing by police officers at the Notting Hill Carnival has long sparked controversy. Officers have been seen moving to soca and calypso music, sometimes looking more like part of the party than the people tasked with maintaining order.
Footage from previous years shows uniformed officers doing conga lines, waving to revellers, and even attempting to show off dance moves.
In 2017, PC Daniel Graham, who also appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, became something of an internet sensation when footage of him dancing went viral.
Reform UK leader and MP for Clacton Nigel Farage has repeatedly highlighted concerns about policing at the carnival, particularly regarding public safety and the scale of the event.
In 2024, he suggested that the carnival had “completely outgrown the original concept” and should be relocated to Hyde Park, where it could be better controlled and safer for both attendees and officers.
Mr Farage argued that while the event is culturally significant, the current setup allows a minority to “run riot,” putting the public and police at risk.
His comments echo wider criticisms from former officers and commentators, who describe the carnival as “unsafe” and insist that policing it requires a strict, authoritative approach rather than light-hearted engagement.
